These are the best Nikon fisheye lenses, chosen for how they deliver immersive 180° views, clean color, and practical handling across modern Z bodies (often via FTZ) and F-mount DSLRs, plus a few third-party gems that keep budgets happy. Fisheye is about character with control: diagonal or circular coverage that exaggerates space, coatings that keep neon and sunbursts tidy, close focus for looming foregrounds, and mechanics you can set by feel without smudging the dome. The native hero is the AF-S Fisheye NIKKOR 8–15mm f/3.5–4.5E ED (FX): one lens for both circular 8mm and diagonal 15mm, crisp across the frame, fast AF, and a versatile zoom throw—perfect for creative transitions, interiors, and action. For a classic diagonal look on full frame, the AF Fisheye-NIKKOR 16mm f/2.8D remains a travel-light favorite—compact, sharp stopped a notch, with reliable color and easy defish—while circular specialists can hunt the vintage 8mm f/2.8 AI-S for full circles with cinematic falloff. DX shooters get a native gem in the AF DX Fisheye-NIKKOR 10.5mm f/2.8G ED—diagonal 180° on crop, close-focus drama, and a small, sturdy shell ideal for gimbals and travel; the Tokina 10–17mm f/3.5–4.5 DX fisheye zoom is the doc/action workhorse with quick framing from tight interiors to skate/bike POVs (a legend underwater behind dome ports), and Sigma’s 10mm f/2.8 EX DC and 15mm f/2.8 EX DG offer budget-friendly, characterful alternatives for DX and FX respectively. For third-party full-frame drama, the Samyang/Rokinon 12mm f/2.8 F fisheye (F-mount) delivers diagonal 180°, bright speed for night scenes, and manual focus with a long, well-damped throw—great value adapted to Z via FTZ; circular looks on the cheap come from Sigma 8mm f/3.5 EX DG or Samyang 8mm (various versions) when you want full circles or creative half-domes. Z-mount shooters without FTZ can still go native: TTArtisan 11mm f/2.8 (Z) gives a compact diagonal fisheye with punchy contrast, 7Artisans 7.5mm f/2.8 (Z DX) is a tiny APS-C option for travel and vlogging rigs, and Meike’s 6.5mm f/2.0 circular fisheye (Z) supplies budget circles with close focus for stylized interiors; all keep weight low and balance nicely on gimbals. Image priorities that make these the “best” in practice are simple and strict: predictable mapping (so defishing is clean when needed), restrained lateral and longitudinal CA so speculars don’t fringe magenta/green, coatings that resist veiling flare around skylights and stage lights, and focus rings with firm damping for repeatable pulls; on zooms, look for tidy breathing and consistent sharpness across the range, and on primes, favor close-focus specs to sell depth with inches-from-the-dome foregrounds. Workflow turns big vision into clean frames—center horizons to tame bow, tilt slightly up or down to balance ceilings and floors in tight rooms, keep a microfiber for the bulbous element and use hoods where available, favor rear gels or matte boxes for exposure control when fronts won’t take filters, and de-fish selectively for plates or when clients need straight lines; for night cityscapes, start around f/2.8–f/4 and watch for bright-edge coma, and for underwater, pair the Tokina 10–17 or Nikon 8–15 with the right dome to preserve corner sharpness. A practical kit recipe is clear: on Z FX, anchor with the Nikon 8–15mm E via FTZ for one-lens circular-to-diagonal coverage (add Sigma 15/2.8 via FTZ for a lightweight diagonal look); on F FX, run 8–15mm E or 16/2.8D for classic simplicity; on DX, choose the Nikon 10.5/2.8G or Tokina 10–17 for flexible framing and action, with a Samyang 8mm for budget fun; on native-Z budgets, grab TTArtisan 11/2.8 (FX) or 7Artisans 7.5/2.8 (DX) and add Meike 6.5/2.0 for circular effects. Whether you’re crafting vertigo-inducing transitions, playful travel frames, stylized automotive bays, underwater reels, or star-washed night scenes with towering foregrounds, the best Nikon-mount fisheye lenses deliver huge perspective, robust handling, and clean files that make extreme wide-angle look intentional and cinematic.